Sigmund Freud: The Interpretation of Dreams

• ISBN-13: 9781593082987
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble
• Publication date: 10/5/2005
• Pages: 592

Claiming he had discovered the "royal road to the unconscious," Sigmund Freud published The Interpretation of Dreams at the turn of the twentieth century, and thus laid the foundation for his innovative technique of psychoanalysis. Largely ignored at first, the book would eventually be considered Freud's most important work, one that, like Darwin's The Origin of Species, revolutionized the way human beings view themselves.
The raw material for The Interpretation of Dreams was provided by Freud himself. Spurred on by the death of his father, he began analyzing his own dreams, in the process recreating lost childhood memories and uncovering the roots of his own neuroses. He concluded that dreams were filled with latent meaning, their bizarre imagery and peculiar narratives concealing deep-seated, instinctual motives and desires. By revealing how the seemingly trivial nonsense of dreams reflects important personal issues in the dreamer's present and past life, Freud created a key that unlocked the vital secrets of the unconscious mind.
 
Everyone knows Freud whether they know they know Freud or not. The Oedipus Complex, anyone? Even though many of his theories are today disregarded by most psychologists, he still stands as one of the founders of the science. (I have a friend that would debate with me as to whether or not it's actually a science, but we'll leave that discussion for another day). A friend bought me this book for Christmas two years ago, not because either one of us has any interest in Freud or psychology, but because she knew of my quest to read all the Barnes and Noble classics. It's taken me this long to actually get around to reading it.
 This book is kind of fun and crazy. There were times that I was shocked at what he wrote, not believing publishing such explicit references to and discussions of masturbation was allowed at the time. There were times that I laughed. I have to agree with my friend as to the doubtfulness of the pseudo-science employed. Most of his interpretations of the dreams he relates seem well connected, but also completely thrown together. The things that make a dream a dream - disconnectedness, seemingly incomprehensible shifts in time and space, etc - mean that there are a wide variety of interpretations that can take place. Freud's conclusions seem wondrous once he draws them all together, and you nod your head at the possibility of it all, but then you realize that he has taken instances from days prior, from childhood, from whatever, and thrown them together in a formation that proves his own theory. It's highly amusing while at the same time it makes you shake your head. He claims that there can be wrong interpretations, but I just don't see how that's possible. He failed to convince me on that count.
 However, taking a step back from interpretation, he examines what causes the occurrences in a dream. That is the part that is interesting to me. He argues about the effect of somatic symptoms felt during sleep, the effect of the littlest events during the day versus events that occupy our minds, and various other aspects of the dream. Why do we dream of the most mundane things at times? Why do certain people show up in our dreams and no others? His theories on those points are fascinating, to be sure. He does make some assertions,  however, that are not easily proved unless he forces dream interpretations to say what he wants. He states that all dreams are wish fulfillment and that even when they don't seem like it, they actually are. Also that repression is caused by our disturbance at certain sexual impulses we felt in childhood. I don't think so. If only you could hear the sarcasm in my voice. I also don't have a weird fetish toward my father.
 The things I just mentioned have been largely disproved and so I don't feel the need to argue with the work. But those things definitely do cast a shadow over what you're reading as you can't quite take him seriously. There are times that I found my mind wondering as he repeated his statements over and over and over. The other problem I had was more with edition I had than writing: many of his quotes in German, Latin, and French were not translated. I could read the French, the German was a little harder, and the Latin incomprehensible. I would have appreciated more thorough work in that aspect.
 Overall: B-
 The low-ish grade is mostly for repetition and occasional incomprehensibility in writing and faulty conclusions. It is saved by its status as a classic, it's interesting moments, and it's contribution to psychoanalysis in its fledgling days. I wouldn't recommend it to everybody, but I think people who want to expand their minds should definitely pick it up.